New Orleans Saints

Has the defense improved enough to keep this team from stumbling down the stretch (again)?

By Jeffri Chadiha

Team Page | Schedule | Depth chart | 2002 Stats | Predicted finish: 3rd in NFC South

Free safety Tebucky Jones became fond of the Big Easy long before he arrived in a trade with the Patriots in April. His attachment to the city began in 1996, his junior year at Syracuse, when the Orangemen traveled to New Orleans and whipped Tulane. In '98, his rookie season with New England, the Patriots defeated the Saints in the Superdome. Then came Super Bowl XXXVI, in which the Pats shocked the Rams and won their first world championship -- in New Orleans. So when Jones talks about his new hometown, he says, "I didn't come here to start losing."

The needy Saints have invested in ex-Patriot Jones, a supersized safety with speed and smarts. Lou Capozzola

It's that attitude that has the Saints excited about the sixth-year veteran. He has a touch of cockiness, but not enough to rub people the wrong way. He also has exceptional size for a safety (6'2", 218 pounds), decent speed and the smarts that come from handling the complex schemes of New England coach Bill Belichick. In short, Jones is the type of player New Orleans had to have. The Saints gave up 20 or more points in all but one game last season, primarily because the defense lacked the speed to handle three- and four-receiver formations and mobile quarterbacks.

Jones, a punishing tackler, was setting the tone for the secondary in the first few weeks of training camp. "He's shown his leadership by the way he directs people," says defensive coordinator Rick Venturi. "That's exactly what I want. I don't believe that people lead by talking in the locker room. Tebucky's a director, not a philosopher."

The Saints traded third- and seventh-round picks in this year's draft, along with a fourth-rounder in 2004, to acquire Jones. They also added outside linebacker Derrick Rodgers in a trade with the Dolphins, signed free-agent cornerback Ashley Ambrose and moved up from 17th to sixth in the draft to select defensive tackle Johnathan Sullivan out of Georgia. The defense will open the season with at least four new starters, and as many as seven newcomers may see significant playing time. "Our biggest concern was finding a way to deal with all the mobile quarterbacks we face this season," says coach Jim Haslett. "We play Steve McNair, Donovan McNabb, Kordell Stewart and Michael Vick. We had a hard time last year dealing with quarterback scrambles, screen plays and spread offenses. Hopefully that won't happen again."

Jones is convinced it won't. "We're there speedwise," he says. "If a player catches the ball in the middle of the field in practice, we have six or seven guys flying to him."

Talent alone won't be enough. The Saints also need staying power. In 2001 they combusted in the midst of a playoff run and lost their final four games. Last season they were 9-4 and then finished with losses to the Vikings, the Bengals and the Panthers. "It's gotten so bad that when I brag to my friends about how good we are, they tell me we're only good early in the year," says cornerback Fred Thomas. That was especially true last season, when execution, not effort, ruined the Saints. "The bottom line is, we didn't play well on either side of the ball to get into the playoffs," says middle linebacker Darrin Smith. "I'm sure there will be a lot of emphasis on that toward the end of this year. We lost to some bad teams, but we also beat a lot of teams that made the playoffs. We beat the Super Bowl champion [Tampa Bay] twice."

The Saints' defensive players are eager to create the same type of chemistry that propelled the Bucs to a title. They often gathered in the off-season to watch film and organized barbecues after workouts. Jones missed those functions -- he was moving his family to New Orleans -- but he believes that time together like that is invaluable. "If we're going to be successful, we need to believe in each other when we line up," he says. "We have to know people will make mistakes, and we have to play through them. We can't let little things grind us up inside. I tell these guys all the time that we have far too much talent. There's no way we shouldn't be playing in the Super Bowl."

Enemy Lines: An opposing scout's view

"Aaron Brooks is one of those guys who runs hot and cold. I think inexperience is his biggest problem; he's still learning how to play under high expectations.... If Brooks can be more consistent, the Saints will be as dangerous as any team in the league. They have three speed receivers -- Joe Horn, Donte' Stallworth and Jerome Pathon -- who will scare anybody. Plus they've got Deuce McAllister in the backfield, and he can beat you with speed and power.... I think they'll miss Kyle Turley at left tackle, but they still have some talent on their line. LeCharles Bentley is a horse inside.... They've really added some speed to their defense. They saw Tampa Bay winning with a fast defense, and now they're trying to do the same.... Johnathan Sullivan has a lot of potential. He's quick for a big guy, and he's solid against the run.... I really like Darren Howard. He's big, strong, fast and when he comes to play, he's a complete defensive end.... Even though Ashley Ambrose is on the downside of his career, he wasn't a bad signing. They'll have a decent tandem if Dale Carter has his head on straight, because Carter is as talented as any corner in the league."

Under the Gun

The Saints were thinking more about chemistry than ability when they traded volatile left tackle Kyle Turley to the Rams and signed free agent Wayne Gandy to replace him. Turley is more athletic, but New Orleans grew tired of his antics. If Gandy becomes the leader the Saints expect, he'll more than make up for what he lacks in athleticism.

Issue date: September 1, 2003